Wild Rice And Sausage Stuffed Peppers – Eat Healthy, Eat Like A Man

A key rule to having a hearty meal that won't pack on the pounds is remembering that it doesn't have to always consist of a lot meat.  Stuffed peppers are a good way to eat healthy, and feel filled to the brim.

As a child the thought of stuffed peppers was sickening.  To be honest, until a few years ago the thought of stuffed peppers wasn't very appealing.  Turns out though, this is one kick ass dish that packs some big time flavor.  The key to making it healthy is finding the right ingredients, that won't crush your wallet.

The recipe that I am about to tell you about is one that is loosely based on one that I found, but with some substitutions and additions of my own.  First and foremost, unless you are a big fan of green bell peppers, use red bell peppers instead.  They have a lot more flavor, and cook down better in the oven.  Secondly, to make this a bit healthier, use Italian style chicken sausage instead of pork.  It's less greasy, and lower in fat, giving you the ability to pig out if you want.  I like to use Lupo's sweet chicken sausage.  It's shipped in from Binghamton, NY and can easily be found at Price Choppers around the area.

So here's how you make it:

Ingredients:

• 4 Red Bell Peppers
• 2 boxes of Wild Rice
• 1lb of Italian Chicken Sausage
• 1/2 tablespoon of Oregano
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella

First thing you want to do is preheat the oven to 375, cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the inside.  Don't throw the tops away, chop up the usable portion, throw it in a saute pan  and begin cooking them until soft.  While the pepper cooks, chop the onion and add it to the pepper.  Set your clean empty peppers in a pan, drizzle with olive oil and precook them for 15 minute in the oven to soften them up. Cook the diced pepper and onion until soft, then remove from the pan.  Add the chicken sausage and cook thoroughly.

Once the sausage is done, add the onion and pepper back in and the oregano and cook until the flavors mix.  Follow the directions for the rice and cook that, either after the sausage mixture, or at the same time.  Once the rice is done, add it to the sausage mixture, and add in the cup of Parmesan cheese.  Mix together.

Pull those peppers out of the oven, and start stuffing them.  Put them back in the oven for another 20 minutes.  At the 5 minute mark sprinkle some shredded mozzarella on the top and let it melt.  Take them out of the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes, dig in, and enjoy.